88 $959,500 £527,198/¤792,975 $100,000-150,000 Guitar Center
Fender “Blackie” Circa 1956 and 1957, A Composite Fender Stratocaster, served as Clapton’s sole stage and studio guitar for 15 years of his career from the late 1970 to 1985
WORLD AUCTION RECORD FOR A GUITAR

41 $847,500 £465,659/¤700,403 $60,000-80,000 Guitar Center
Gibson 1964, ES-335 TDC, purchased by Clapton in 1964, he has used this ES-335 throughout his career
WORLD AUCTION RECORD FOR A GIBSON GUITAR
THIRD HIGHEST PRICE FOR A GUITAR

19 $791,500 £434,890/¤654,132 $60,000-80,000 West Coast Collector
C.F. Martin and Company 1939, Style 000-42, Clapton’s main acoustic guitar between 1993 and 1995, cover of the Unplugged album
WORLD AUCTION RECORD FOR A MARTIN GUITAR

83 $623,500 £342,582/¤515,289 $15,000-20,000 Guitar Center

Fender “Lenny” Circa 1965 and later, Composite Stratocaster, purchased by Stevie Ray Vaughan in the 1970’s and used by him throughout his career, donated by Jimmie Vaughan
SECOND HIGHEST PRICE FOR A FENDER STRATOCASTER

29 $253,900 £139,505/¤209,835 $10,000-15,000 US Private
Juan Alvarez 1997, Classical Guitar, recognizable from its appearance on MTV Unplugged in January 1992, also used for the solo performance of Tears In Heaven in 1992

86 $231,500 £127,198/¤191,322 $10,000-15,000 US Private
Fender 1988, Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster, Eric Clapton Signature Model, served as Clapton’s main stage guitar from the summer of 1990 until March 1993

85 $220,300 £121,044/¤182,066 $7,000-9,000 US Private
Fender 2000, Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster, played by Clapton in the studio, and used as a back up stage guitar during the Reptile Tour, 2001

More on the sale, which took place on June 24th:

In a thundering two-hour sale, carried by waves of fierce bidding and outbursts of devotional excitement, many Eric Clapton fans saw their dreams come true. In the fully packed James Christie salesroom at Rockefeller Center, bidders from all over the world competed passionately to acquire guitars from Eric Clapton’s collection or instruments donated by his musician friends such as Jimmie Vaughan and Pete Townshend. The sale was 100% sold and totaled $7,438,624, easily eclipsing the $5 million result achieved for the first Eric Clapton sale organized by Christie’s in 1999. The top lot of the evening was ‘Blackie,’ the black and white composite Fender Stratocaster that served as Clapton’s sole stage and studio guitar from 1970 till 1985. ‘Blackie’ was sold for $959,500, becoming the most expensive guitar ever to have been sold at auction. Proceeds of the sale will benefit Crossroads Centre in Antigua, an addiction treatment center established by Eric Clapton in 1998.

Upon hearing the results of tonight’s sale, Eric Clapton, who is currently touring the country, commented: “I am thrilled at the result which is going to be of enormous help to us in achieving our long term aims at the Centre. On behalf of myself, but above all on behalf of all the future clients who will benefit from the enhanced facilities at the Centre, and those who will receive free or assisted treatment as a result of this sale, I want to say a big ‘thank you’ to all of those who have come along today and played a part in making this for me and everyone connected with the Centre, a very memorable occasion.”

Tim Sinnott, Executive Officer of Crossroads Centre, who was present during the sale and its five-day viewing, said afterwards: “Mr. Clapton’s generosity to Crossroads Centre Antigua is an overwhelming gift to people in need of recovery resources. The funds from the Guitar Auction at Christie’s will help Crossroads in many different areas, including the completion of the 16-bed half-way house, The Bevon House, and the continuation of Crossroads international financial assistance programs. The impact of this auction will enable Crossroads Centre to sail into the future to fulfill the mission and vision of its founder and chairman: to provide affordable, accessible and quality addiction rehabilitation treatment.”

That’s a lot of dough and very generous of the donators and purchasers alike. Clapton, who has periodic bouts with serious substance abuse, has put his money where his salvation is in ths regard. Congrats to all involved.